Flamenco: Life Experience and Tradition

The flamenco tradition is deeply rooted here in La Herradura. Born out of the Andalucía region of Spain with influences from old Muslim, Jewish and Romani folklore, the dance has become a part of the Spanish identity.

The songs and dances are full of passion that comes from the depth of the performers’ soul. It’s far from superficial pop with glamorous baby faces. Life experience is needed to be a good flamenco artist. It reflects real life, and on its best flamenco is a great art.

Both tourists and locals flock to the restaurants when flamenco is performed. In our little community, there are several performances a week mostly by local artists with a high standard. Some of the staff in one of my favorite restaurants perform every Sunday, and it’s fantastic to experience a small community with so much musical talent.

The dancing style is one of the most intense I have seen. The facial expressions and movements are firm and dramatic. The performers give all, and the guitar music is vital and insistently rhythmic.

I heard that the dance also reflects the movements of the flamingos, but I don’t know how much truth there is in it. The long story of flamenco is very vague; it was only in the 17th century that the music form was first mentioned in writing.

Anyhow, the flamenco tradition is alive and well all over Spain and here are some photos from one of the local restaurants here the other Sunday.